


Tough Kid

by Fabrisse



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-14
Updated: 2006-03-14
Packaged: 2017-11-16 14:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/540373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabrisse/pseuds/Fabrisse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel and Cassie talk in the aftermath of <i>Heroes</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tough Kid

**Author's Note:**

> This is the only story of mine to win an award. 2005 Stargate Fan Awards under Friendship.

Daniel found her in her old playhouse in the back yard. It was being used mostly as a garden shed these days. But for two or three years after Cassie came to earth, it had been *her* house, complete with chairs and a table and the complete set of tea things.

He remembered the weekend that he, Teal'c, and Jack had put it together. It had come hard on the heels of Jack giving her a puppy. Just as Teal'c had been shocked at the idea of giving a child a domestic animal, he'd been intrigued by the idea of a house built to kid size for playing in.

Jack had been a little surprised himself. Daniel had always wanted either a treehouse or what he'd grown up calling a Wendy house. When he mentioned that every kid should have someplace safe to be away from their parents and just *play* Jack had rubbed Daniel's shoulder and started to make plans.

Teal'c made the table and two little stools. Daniel had found the old slipper rocker at a junk shop and bought the tea set at the same time. Jack brought an old wooden Army trunk and had Cassie paint it her favorite color. Janet and Sam had helped her find stickers and stencils for it.

Now in the middle of this little childhood paradise, Cassie sat smoking. Yip was laying at her feet and looked up from time to time with a worried expression.

Daniel sat down in the slipper rocker, swiped a cigarette out of the pack, and lit it. He noticed that Cassie was smoking like it was rehearsed rather than natural behavior.

"You're the first one to come."

"Jack's still on base. They've ordered him to stay in a VIP suite for a few more days before they release him home. Teal'c..."

"I know that Teal'c has a hard time getting away from the mountain without help."

Daniel nodded and blew a smoke ring. Cassie followed the ring's path with her eyes until it dispersed.

"When did you take it up?"

"I started smoking to be more part of the crowd at the cafes while I was on my Fulbright scholarship."

"Why'd you quit?"

"Too poor. I was evicted just before I gave my infamous lecture. I'd quit smoking about the time I moved into that flea-trap."

Cassie lit a new cigarette off the old one and stubbed out the butt.

"You're not lecturing me."

"There are worse things you could be doing."

This pause lasted longer.

"Mom was very prepared. I own the house. I have enough to go to college, if I want to."

"Do you? Want to?"

"I think so. Don't know what I'll major in, but I got accepted to Oberlin."

Daniel nodded. "Ohio's nowhere near here."

"I think I just need to get away. I don't know what to do with the house."

Daniel looked around at the little playhouse. "Have you been back in since you found out?"

"What?"

He indicated the little army cot and sleeping bag in the playhouse. "There were pizza delivery boxes in the trash can."

"I use the bathroom in the basement."

Daniel looked at her directly for the first time. "Why haven't you been in the house, Cassie?"

"I've been waiting for Sam to come. She called and told me about Mom and Uncle Jack, but..."

"Yeah." He could see Cassie blinking back the tears. "Jack'll probably get a clean bill of health by Friday. He's been asking about you."

"Don't tell him about the smoking."

"I won't, but you should know that when I first knew Jack he was a chain smoker. I nearly started again."

"Why didn't you?"

"No tobacco on Abydos."

"Uncle Jack really smoked that much?"

"Oh, yeah. Same reason that you are. Grief."

Cassie took a deeper drag and coughed a little.

"Why didn't you come to the memorial service? I know the General offered to send a car for you."

"I notice that you didn't offer to come get me."

"God. I forget.... No one told you that we were confined to base until the investigation into Janet's death was over? It never even occurred to me... Hell. Cassie. I'm sorry. I ended up attending the service in the suit that I keep for emergencies in my office -- you know, in case I get called on to do something diplomatic. I had to ask Lou Ferretti to feed my fish."

"I didn't ... I thought you might be staying there to look after Uncle Jack."

"One of the reasons that I came by tonight is that I realized I didn't have your cel phone number. You haven't called me back on any of the messages I left ..." He gestured toward the back door.

"She was a good Mom."

"I know."

"It doesn't seem fair. I've lost so much, and now I'm losing another mother."

"I know."

Cassie looked over at him. "You probably do. More than most people.

Do you know what someone said to me at school today?"

Daniel shook his head.

"Actually there were two of them. One guy said I must have done something terrible in a past life to keep losing the people that love me."

"If you know his address, Jack would probably like to have a long talk with him. So would I, but I'd actually use words, and, right now, I like Jack's approach better."

"Janey's a good friend of mine. She's really religious. She told me that God wouldn't send me more than I can handle." The tears began to flow. "I can't handle it though."

Daniel moved out of his chair and held Cassie close. The first sob came out long and keening. He tilted her head against his shoulder and clasped her more tightly. Cassie began to sob in earnest.

"She's never coming home."

"No, sweetheart, she isn't." Daniel rocked her a little.

"Sam's not going to be here either, is she?"

"I don't know. I don't know why she hasn't been here before now."

Cassie hugged Daniel tighter and cried until she was limp.

Daniel handed her a handkerchief. "Would you like me to stay with you and Yip tonight? Or would you rather come to my house?"

"I'm fine here. You don't have to..."

Daniel held her away from him and made her look at him. "You don't have to go through this alone anymore. I'm just sorry that you had to come this far alone."

"Did she suffer at all? I mean they said killed instantly, but I'm sure they always say that, y'know."

"She was right beside me. A foot to the right and your Mom would have been fine. A couple of feet to her left, and she'd have been taking you to my funeral. She was already dead when I called for the medic.

I carried her back through the gate myself."

"Thank you."

Cassie leaned into his arms again, and he held her close. It took him a minute to realize that she was muttering something into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you."

"I *said,* why did you two break-up?"

Daniel took a deep breath. "I didn't know you knew about that."

"I was thirteen, not stupid."

"What can I say? Adults always think they're being more careful than they really are."

After a moment Daniel said, "I thought I'd lost everything. My wife was gone, my quest for her child was over, Jack and I weren't as good friends as we'd been in the past. Janet asked me to dinner one night when you were having a sleepover at a friend's house. I think she really did just ask me over to talk, but, well, we had a sleepover too."

Daniel smiled a little. "We knew we were never going to be everything to each other. Her ex-husband had hurt her too much, and I wasn't ready. But for the time we were together, we gave each other a lot."

"I know about sex."

"It wasn't just sex. There was more, it just wasn't 'the rest of our lives' more. As to why we broke up. We didn't really. Because we didn't want to confuse you, I came late and left early or stayed over when you were away with friends. We just hadn't had too much time to get together during the last few months before SG-1s trip to Kelowna.

Conflicting schedules rather than a break up."

"Did you love her?"

"Yes."

"She cried when you ascended."

"Janet was a good friend."

"Can we go to your house? Just until Uncle Jack and Teal'c can come over this weekend?"

"You can stay with me as long as you need to. What about school? Don't you take the bus?"

"I think one of my friends lives near you. I'll see if I can get a lift with her and her mother."

"If not, I'll figure something out. By the way, Jack and Teal'c and Sam may not be able to come this weekend. It'll depend on Jack's bill of health."

"I know. Jack and Teal'c, whenever."

"And Sam?"

"*She* has my cel phone number."

"Ah."

Cassie fastened the lock on the cellar doors. "The house is all locked up. Can we stop at the grocery store to pick up stuff for Yip? I'm not ready to go inside, yet."

"Sure, Cassie." They began to walk toward the car.

"Uncle Daniel..."

"Yes."

"I'm glad you came by."

"So am I."

"Don't smoke, OK."

"I won't, if you won't."

Yip bounded into the backseat, and Cassie slipped into the front. As Daniel pulled out of the drive he saw her looking intensely at the big house she now owned.

When she turned back to look at him, she said, "Deal."


End file.
